Frugal Dinner Recipes

Frugal dinner recipes are a great tool for keeping your grocery budget under control. Whether you're cooking for your entire family or making meals for one, having access to a stash of quick and easy meal ideas is an essential part of frugal living.

Beef and Vegetable Soup Recipe

Adding soups to your selection of very frugal recipes is a healthy, economical choice. You can make the most of lean, inexpensive cuts of meat and great sales on frozen and root vegetables. Soups also help you create variety in a menu without a lot of fuss. This recipe serves eight.

Soup Instructions

Sauté the vegetables in the stock pot with about 1 cup of broth for about 5 minutes.

Add beef and stir for another 5 minutes until meat begins to brown.

Add all liquid to the pot and bring to a boil.

Add spices, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Skim away any foam on the surface, season to taste, and serve hot.

For reheating the next day, add a little more water and some additional frozen vegetables, such as peas, broccoli, or green beans.

Country Bread Recipe

You don't need a machine to make terrific homemade bread. Just a little time. Homemade bread adds a special touch to any meal, and can be sliced thick and toasted, great for dunking into soup. This recipe makes two loaves.

Ingredients

2- ¼ ounce packages active dry yeast

6 to 7 cups of all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.

Add oil, eggs, salt, sugar, and 3 cups flour to yeast and mix well with a fork.

Gradually add additional flour to form a soft dough.

Place dough on a flour surface and knead for about six minutes, until dough is soft and elastic.

Place in a lightly greased bowl, rolling around the bowl until coated.

Cover with a dish towel or a paper towel and let rise in an unheated oven for until doubled in size (approximately one hour).

Punch dough down on a floured surface, divide into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans.

Cover again and let rise for about one hour or until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 F for about 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Remove loaves from pans and cool the bread on wire racks for about 15-30 minutes.

Store leftover unsliced bread in a plastic zip bag for up to four days.

Tip: Instead of buying bread crumbs or croutons, make your own. Use days-old leftover bread crumbled for casserole toppings, or cut bread into bite-sized pieces, bake for 10 minutes at 375 F, and you have great salad croutons.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a classic frugal vegetarian meal option, but traditionally not very healthy. One easy upgrade for this dish is to simply toss a can of tuna and some frozen mixed vegetables into your favorite boxed macaroni. Another idea is to try the following recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese with tofu.

Ingredients

16 ounces elbow macaroni

1/2 cup evaporated milk

16 ounces silken tofu

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, if desired

Instructions

Cook macaroni, then drain and set aside.

In your blender, add tofu to the evaporated milk. Blend until smooth.

Add the seasoned salt and Tabasco sauce, if desired.

Pour the tofu mixture into pan, cooking over medium heat until bubbly.

Slowly add in cheese, stirring until it is completely melted.

Add macaroni and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat to let cool before serving.

Ramen Stir Fry

Since ramen noodles can often be purchased for between 10 and 25 cents per pack, it's not surprising they are a staple in the diets of college students around the world. On their own, ramen noodles aren't particularly healthy. However, you can boost the nutritional value of this cheap meal by whipping up a tasty stir fry using inexpensive ramen as the base. This recipe serves two. Adjust the quantities as needed for a larger number of people.

Fried Rice

Resist the temptation to order take out Chinese food by whipping up a batch of fried rice at home. The rice can easily be refrigerated and reheated for lunch the next day, if you wish. This recipe serves four.

Ingredients

4 cups brown rice

Chicken bouillon

4 eggs

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1/2 small onion, diced

Garlic

Soy sauce

Ginger

Instructions

Cook brown rice in chicken bouillon.

Sauté onion in pan, add peas and carrots to defrost.

Scramble eggs in the pan.

Add rice, soy sauce, and ginger.

Stir thoroughly.

Simmer until heated through, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

Poor Man's Stroganoff

This comforting dish is similar to stroganoff, but the ingredients are more budget friendly. This recipe serves six.

Creating Your Own Frugal Dinners

Coming up with your own dinner recipes that are budget-friendly can be fun, and you can have plenty of variety. Keep in mind that pre-made and pre-packaged foods can be much more expensive than simple, basic ingredients and in-season produce. Browse different main dish recipe ideas to create meal plans based on cheap ingredients you and your family love. Doing so will help you save money and eat well.

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